You'll Learn to Love Me

Side Stories: If Laylana, Leo, Piper, and Jason were Poly

Holy shit it's been a while guys.

It started as a joke... It is no longer a joke anymore, everybody. You can choose if this is cannon, or if Lana and Leo are the ultimate endgame (honestly, either could work, I kind of love the four of them together though NGL) 

Did I make the four of them flirt a lot? Yes. BUT! In all fairness, I think every teenage relationship/friendship nowadays is like this. Mine were, and even going into adulthood they definitely are still like this.

ALSO! To the person who said they'd pledge their life to me if I wrote this, when we writing that contract?

THERE WILL BE AN ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER!!!

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Getting Together

Laylana was in a crisis. A predicament. A dilemma.

Dating Leo had been easy at first—he made her laugh, made her heart race in the best way, and always knew how to lift her spirits. But then Piper had entered the equation. The gorgeous daughter of Aphrodite, effortlessly kind, effortlessly charming. It was hard not to notice her, and soon enough, Laylana found herself blushing at Piper's playful teasing, her heart stuttering when their hands brushed.

And then, of course, there was Jason. Steady, strong, dependable Jason. Her best friend, who made her feel safe in a way she couldn't explain. Who threw her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing and laughed when she kicked and screamed on the way to being tossed into the lake. Who made her stomach flip just as much as Leo and Piper did.

So yeah. Laylana was in a crisis.

It made hanging out with them a challenge—whether they were working on the Argo II, scouting for signs of Camp Jupiter, or just enjoying rare moments of downtime. The guilt gnawed at her, even though she hadn't done anything wrong. How could she adore Leo so much and still feel this pull toward Piper and Jason?

Even now, sitting on the beach, it was hard to ignore.

Leo and Jason were roughhousing in the lake while Laylana sat on her towel beside Piper, who had just shattered her composure by showing up in a turquoise and black two-piece. Not quite a bikini, but more revealing than usual. Laylana tried not to stare. She failed miserably.

She barely registered the scene in front of her until Leo let out what he would later insist was a "very manly shriek" as Jason hoisted him over his shoulders and launched him into the deeper part of the lake. Laylana and Piper both laughed as Leo resurfaced, sputtering and firing off an impressive string of curses in English, Greek, and Spanish before tackling Jason under the water.

"Lana, did you put on sunscreen today?" Piper's voice pulled her back to reality.

Laylana blinked, turning to see Piper holding a bottle of sunscreen. "Uh..." She scrambled for an answer and came up empty. "No?"

Piper sighed, shaking her head before squeezing some into her hands. "You burn too easily. Take that off and turn around."

"I can do it myself—"

Piper shot her a look. That look. The one that said, 'Don't argue with me.' Laylana sighed in defeat, shrugging off her sheer overcoat and turning so Piper could reach her back. She shivered when Piper's cool hands made contact with her skin, trying not to think too hard about the way she was massaging the sunscreen in slow, careful circles.

Her scars used to make her flinch when touched. But with Piper... it was different. With Piper, Jason, and Leo, she didn't mind.

"There. Now face me." Piper's voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.